06 March 2015
From the Forum — Issue #62
Welcome to the latest installment of From the Forum. In this series, guest blogger Alex Jackson highlights outstanding threads from the Corona Forum. The goal is to bring attention to the most captivating, interesting, and thought-provoking discussions taking place in our very own backyard.
Please visit the forum to join these conversations or start your own!
1. Intrepid poster becomes news
Normally, I’m a very mild-mannered individual. I prefer to hide behind the scenes, hang out, take in the sights and enjoy the landscape. However, sometimes I have to run out from stage left and point folks to my own mistakes, so that they don’t fall into the same traps as I did.
This is one of those times. Making the leap to Windows Phone development, I had quite a few questions, and very few answers. For those of you looking for the swiftest path to Windows Phone development, without having to purchase a Windows 8 machine, should take a look at the below forum thread. A knowledgeable CoronaLabs engineer weighs in to set me right, and other developers drop by to give some tips on deployment. Check it out!
http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/54727-coronacardswp-development-on-windows-10
2. Remote debug with a cherry on top
Basic debugging is an essential skill to possess, and now that we are all able to use the CoronaViewer tool, having the ability for non-local beta testers to provide error and use-case information with as few steps as possible is paramount.
A very generous Corona developer has created and released a remote debug library that takes advantage of some free features of a service called Loggly. I’ve featured a few remote debug modules in past “From the Forum” entries, but I’m a pretty big fan of this one for it’s use of RESTful communication. The library is early on in it’s lifecycle, so give it a try and kick the tires on it. If you have any questions or comments, don’t forget to throw them up in the forum!
3. Loading remote images with a flourish
The ability to load remote files frees up storage space on a user’s device, while giving a developer a whole world of control of which files are delivered. Whether working on a calendar app or a seasonal IAP module, the applications of this kind of useful feature are limitless.
Recognized Corona user RoamingGamer recently chimed in when another developer was running into some trouble with this functionality. He did a huge favor to the entire community when he shared his own code for accomplishing this methodology, which can be found at the below forum thread. So what are you waiting for? Head over there right now!
http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/54861-return-loadremoteimage-from-url-or-load-locally-if-exists/
About Alex
Alex Jackson is an indie developer and the founder of Panc Interactive, specializing in retro-style gaming. He has created several mobile applications, enjoys long walks on the beach, pixel art, and reading the Corona forums. Contact him by email or follow him on Twitter: @pancinteractive. Check out his new game Crosstown Smash on iOS, Android, and Amazon devices!
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